OREANDA-NEWS. July 22, 2015. 36 fifth-graders from Takashima Elementary School in Nagano, Japan, attended a special science class at a retreat in the mountains to observe the stars. Epson loaned 21 pairs of Moverio BT-200 smart glasses for the event and the services of four engineers to provide support.

Gazing upward into the night sky with a pair of these smart glasses, the students were able to observe the constellations, augmented by coordinates and other identifying information overlaid on the view. The data was delivered to the see-through lenses by a stargazing application called Iyashi-Boshi*1. The students were treated to their first-ever augmented reality experience, and it proved to be a hit, as the view through the Moverio's unique see-through lenses makes the stars appear close enough to reach out and grab.

*1: Developed by System Science Co., Ltd. for the BT-200

The students, who have a strong interest in the latest technology, were full of questions, and many wondered why they were able to see images while wearing Moverio that others could not.

Founded 140 years ago, Takashima Elementary has a unique curriculum that is renowned throughout Japan because its teachers and students are given carte blanche to decide the curriculum for their class. This year one of the classes used Moverio smart glasses as part of the extracurricular stargazing class, but the school is now looking into making Moverio-assisted stargazing a part of the formal curriculum in the future.